


Alternate Outcome

by gelema



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-26 17:05:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5012833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelema/pseuds/gelema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat Noir has something he has to tell Ladybug, but can't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a short fanfiction by catxnoir (Tumblr) and a comic by ursopanda (Tumblr). I hope you enjoy it!

Ladybug leaned back on both hands, legs sticking over the gutter of a building, dangling over the sidewalk underneath. With a conflicted face, she said, “His name is Adrien Agreste….” 

Chat’s eyes opened wide. She knew him? His heart raced, wondering how many times he had walked by his beloved lady without recognizing her - had they talked? This was great news. The way his heart yearned for her wasn’t in vain at all! His fingers twitched toward his ring, ready to remove his Miraculous and reveal his identity to Ladybug. 

_But wait, he thought_ , holding his breath. _Ladybug wouldn’t like that._

Ladybug had narrowed her eyes at Chat’s reaction. “Do you know Adrien?” she said. 

His breath slowly collapsed inside of him. He knew that, as Adrien or as Chat, he had to respect Ladybug’s wishes for privacy. “Oh, um… He- His father is famous, no?” Chat said. He tried to appear casual as he took a seat beside the heroine. 

“Yes, his father is a fashion designer. He’s one of my favorites.” 

“Oh?” Chat’s eyebrows raised. 

Ladybug seemed to blush under her mask. “I’d like to be a successful designer like him,” she said. 

“I see,” he said. “And, what do you think of Adrien?” 

She grinned broadly. “He’s kind, and he’s sincere. You can see it in his face, too. He’s always nice to people, even silly me.” _Heartbeat_. “He also models for his father’s fashion lines, because he’s so good looking and has such a sweet smile.” _Heartbeat_. _Heartbeat_. “You’d think that being famous might make some people coldhearted, but not Adrien. I think he truly is a good person all the way at the core.” 

His heart rate was skyrocketing. There was no way he couldn’t tell her anymore. She had to know. 

“So, Ladybug,” he started. 

She faced him with an inquisitive smile still on her face. 

“Um, I’d like to talk to you more about Adrien. But… ah. There are some things I walk to talk to you about, and… I can only do that if I reveal my identity to you.” 

“Heh??” she interrupted. 

“So, if you will allow it,” he reached for his ring, “may I remove my Miraculous?” 

“No!” Ladybug said. He removed his grip from the ring immediately, dropping his still-disguised hand by his side hard enough to make an impact on his thigh. Ladybug picked up his other hand and held it up with two of hers. “Chat Noir, I’m sorry. Hearing me talk about my crush so much must have made you feel terrible.” 

“On the contrary, My Lady,” Chat said, the usual playful tone not fully present in his words. “I’m honored to be a closer part of your life. I’d like to tell you how you make me feel - the real me.” 

“Oh, Chat,” Ladybug said. “You know I care about you a lot. We just need to keep our identities a secret. It’s safer for everyone that way.” 

His heart sunk. All of his excitement and energy turned against him, and he turned his face away from Ladybug, so the tears pooling in his eyes would be less noticeable. 

“I’ve got to finish an assignment tonight,” Ladybug said, and she stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She yawned, stretching her arms and covering her mouth. “Hopefully we can get a few days off with the akumas after this long night.” 

“Mm,” Chat agreed. “Good luck with your assignment,” he said. She flashed out her wire and zipped away across the roofs, leaving a chill wind at his back. Once she was out of his sight, folded his arms on the tops of his knees and laid his head down. He took off the ring. 

“You’re going to need to put that on again to get down from here,” Plagg said. 

“I know,” said Adrien, his voice muffled from under his arms. “I just need a moment.” 

For once, Plagg was silent. 

***** 

Ladybug had bounded over five roofs before she realized she needed to take a break. She ducked behind a large chimney and leaned her back against the brick. The excitement was getting to her, and her heart was pounding out of her chest. 

_I nearly revealed myself_ , she thought. _And so did he… Crisis averted… I think?_

She looked around the corner of the chimney back to where she had left Chat. As soon as she had spotted him still sitting on the rooftop with his head down, his transformation came off and he was suddenly not black at all but wearing everyday clothes. 

She gasped and pulled her head back to the opposite side of the chimney. Chat had taken off his transformation right in front of her eyes. But, she wasn’t close enough to get a good idea of his identity. If she looked again, she might see his face… 

But part of her was glad that she hadn’t seen. Keeping her identity secret was so important to her, and she was glad that Chat respected that. It wouldn’t be fair to know his identity if she didn’t give him the same about her. 

As Marinette, she was such a clutz. She could never get anything done right. But Ladybug was different. And she didn’t want either of her worlds to seep into the other. Chat had nearly crossed the line, and she was ultimately glad that he hadn’t. From now on, she would deal with her feelings about Adrien without Chat’s help. Even though Chat had been exceedingly thoughtful this evening… Even though he was an honest friend, and she entrusted her life with him… And he seemed to relate so well, compared to Alya, who was never stressed because of other people’s opinions of her. 

She would have to reach a decision later. She shook her head to clear the conflicting thoughts, and started moving again, father and farther away.


	2. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can Adrien find his special someone if he doesn't even know who that is?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone's nice comments on the first chapter! Here's more shipping hell for you all~ <33

Class started in an hour, and Adrien was still in bed. He’d been lying on his back with his arms over the cover for twenty minutes. Adrien’s sheets were flat across his body, but he felt like they were being pushed onto him. His bed, spotlessly clean, was supposed to be comforting, but he felt more uncomfortable than anywhere else in it. His eyes flicked around the ceiling, feeling like he was a stranger to the white walls. He squinted his eyes, trying to imagine that responsibility (and heartache) didn’t exist. 

Plagg flew up from the ground a meter away, releasing a loud sigh as he floated down and sat himself on Adrien’s chest. “Get up, kitty boy. You still have to go to school.” 

“I know you’re right,” Adrien said. 

He sprung up suddenly, flinging Plagg high into the air, and landed on his feet on the side of his bed. The sweatpants that he wasn’t used to wearing itched his legs, making him think about the ladybug pajamas that he couldn’t bring himself to put on when he’d returned from patrol last night. He shrugged the thought off physically, shaking his head, but the feeling stayed with him the rest of the morning. 

“So do you think we’ll actually get a few days off, Plagg? You have more experience in the business than I do,” he said while he got out his toothbrush and toothpaste. 

“Ha, I never pay attention to when the akumas appear. I guess it depends on when Hawkmoth feels like it,” the kwami replied. 

Adrien rolled his eyes and said, “You’re no help.”

“I think .. it takes more of Hawkmoth’s energy to make a more powerful enemy, though, depending on the initial mood of his target. That’s why he always goes for people who already feel bad, because it’s easier to take away their goodness. You may get lucky with some easier opponents for a while!”

“Hmm,” Adrien said with his toothbrush in his mouth. “I hwpe thry’r nicwr too.”

On the ride to school, Adrien picked his satchel up and talked to Plagg quietly. “Do you know if, um, people like me have ever met people like Ladybug in the past?”

“Hmmmmmmm,” Plagg said loudly, causing Adrien to hug the satchel and wrap his sweater around it. “It depends on the heroes. This Ladybug seems to be particularly lucky. Her power is really spectacular. Shows you how good Tikki is at choosing a partner.”

“We don’t have the same kind of chemistry, huh?” Adrien asked. 

“No. You don’t feed me enough good cheese.” 

Adrien smiled. He knew the kwami was just joking, because he got cheese every time he asked for it, unless there was a threat nearby. 

“Your powers aren’t anything special, but it’s very hard to find an extremely good Black Cat. Most have to learn and grow to be able to use their power well. I think you’ll be able to learn a lot. Some past Black Cats have been promising at first and turned out to be lazy and didn’t work for anything.”

“ But what about meeting Ladybug?” Adrien pressed. “Like, without the masks.”

“Some of the Black Cats of the past didn’t even work with Ladybug. You should be glad for what you have.”

 _I am_ , Adrien thought, pouting a bit. That’s why I let her go, wasn’t it? Even though I love her. 

A week ago, he had told Ladybug that he was sure he would be able to recognize her without her transformation. Now, he wasn’t so sure. What if Ladybug was someone he saw regularly? How meaningless his words would be if he couldn’t recognize Ladybug as the person he sat next to every day in class! 

The sky outside the car was heavy laden with rain clouds.  _Come on, luck. Work with me. This is terrible weather for an akuma attack, right?_

_*****_

Ladybug shouted loudly as she re-entered her classroom (transformed now) and threw her yo-yo at the villain’s minion. The hulking creature resembling a tree stump was hit on the head and knocked backward toward Adrien Agreste. As the minion’s head leaned back and bit into the wall, Adrien crouched down and avoided being crushed only narrowly. The monster reared up again with an angry face, only to be met by Ladybug’s twirling streak of yo-yo that cut right through it, and it burst into bubbles. Gaia Tempest’s monsters were large and strong, but defeated easily by Ladybug’s quickness. 

“Are you okay?” Ladybug said, reaching forward and extending her hand to Adrien, who was still sitting on the floor. He looked a little panicked.  _Oh no_ , Ladybug thought, her response to his panic reminding her that,  _This is the boy I like and who was almost crushed_. 

Adrien’s frantic eyes settled a bit and he looked out the door where more minions were patrolling around the school grounds. He gripped his satchel and turned on his heels, running out the door. 

“Adrien, stop!” Ladybug shouted, following after him and flashing her yo-yo into the face of another minion that was right outside their classroom, leering down at him. “What are you thinking? Ha!” She yelled out as she destroyed more of the bulky minions. Of course, minion clearing would be easier with Chat Noir here, but she could manage just as well. 

She jumped and danced around the courtyard and managed to get rid three of the remaining four monsters in a little less than two minutes. She threw her yo-yo at Gaia Tempest, standing in the doorway, but she ran to the side of the building and jumped into a cluster of bushes, sinking into the soil to reappear in some other area of Paris with soil. Wherever that might be, Ladybug would need to find out now. That would be more efficient that tracking down the one hundred minions that had been released into this area of the city. 

Before Ladybug could plan her next move, Adrien ran down the stairs and appeared beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from leaving. “Thank you, Ladybug,” he said. 

His fingertips slid subtly across the fabric of her outfit as he released her shoulder. Ladybug started to blush like Marinette. “Oh, you don’t need to thank me,” she said. 

The fourth minion, which had been wandering lazily around the other side of the courtyard, suddenly charged at Adrien while he was looked away. Brought back into action, Ladybug immediately grabbed Adrien and pulled him out of the path of the monster as it went charging right past, too top-heavy to stop its momentum. Still holding Adrien with one arm, she spun in a circle and clutched her yo-yo in her left hand. She felt his wide eyes watching her face as the world spun. When she had spun them both around once completely, she stepped forward to accelerate her yo-yo into the back of the monster’s head as it ran out onto the street. 

The monster exploded into bubbles and Ladybug let her yo-yo fall without snatching it back.  _Oh, how on Earth did this happen._ She had ended up holding Adrien as if she had just dipped him in the tango, supporting his body with one of her arms, and supporting her own body with a leg stretched forward underneath him. She blinked and looked down at him, his face suddenly incredibly close to hers. “Ah, heheh, sorry,” she said, not quite letting go. 

He seemed to stare at her eyes probingly. “Do I know you?” he asked. With the tone of voice he used, Ladybug wasn’t sure if he was asking her or asking himself. 

 _Enough of that_ , Ladybug said to herself. She stood, picking up Adrien with her and placing him solidly on two feet in front of her. She removed her hands from him and dusted them on her sides. “Ahhhh, my identity is a secret, so I doubt it,” she said, sounding significantly more like Marinette than Ladybug. That response didn’t even make sense. Breezes with the promise of rain passed between them, swirling around the now-empty school. “Chat Noir should be here any minute to help me with this akuma. You should probably go home. I’ll take you as far as the Eiffel Tower to make sure you get there safely,” she said. 

“Ah! So you do know me! You know that I live near the Tower, don’t you?” Adrien said with a smile. 

Ladybug tensed with shock, her voice refusing to work.  _Definitely not my lucky day_ , she thought, angry at herself for revealing this to her crush. 

The ground shook, knocking Ladybug out of her daze. She and Adrien both landed on the floor of the courtyard, looking out at the street which was … suddenly not a street anymore. The skyline of the old city was dropping beneath their eyes as the earth under the school building shot up into the air. 

The skies suddenly cracked to life with lightning, and Ladybug got one last glimpse of a thousand more minions appearing on the darkened city streets before the school was pushed all the way through the low-hanging rainclouds. Lightning flashed around the structure, and Ladybug and Adrien both jumped and clung to each other when thunder struck, sounding like it was a few hundred meters away from them ears. 

The ride up through the clouds continued for a few more seconds, and in that time Ladybug somehow managed to lose a hold of Adrien and he slipped away from her as it was dark. “Huh? Where are you?” Ladybug shouted. Feeling more confident, more like a superhero, she stood up and tried to look into the darkness.  _Of course I can’t see anything. If only Chat Noir was here_ , she thought. 

In the next moment, the building stopped moving, and the last of the clouds were passed, bringing the tall tower of earth into the sunlight. The floor bulged a little with the abrupt stop, causing Ladybug to fly up into the air and hang suspended for a moment. She squinted her eyes and saw a large black body and huge green eyes getting larger in her field of vision. Chat Noir was shouting with his mouth wide, but he couldn’t stop himself from crashing into Ladybug in midair. 

“Oof!” They latched and twisted around each other, and if Ladybug hadn’t used her yo-yo to suspend them by grabbing the stairs above them, they most definitely would have broken some bones landing all tangled on the floor. She eased them down gently. 

“I’m glad you could make it,” Ladybug grumbled, even though she was genuinely glad. 

He grinned. “Not too terrible of an entrance for Chat Noir, was it?”

“You haven’t seen a schoolboy, Adrien Agreste, have y-”

She was cut off by the laughter of Gaia Tempest. Both of the heroes looked around to see her standing nearby. They crouched back and placed their hands on their weapons. Chat made a hiss. 

“Now that we’re on my turf, or rather, my sky - why don’t we have some fun?” the villain crooned. 


End file.
